Disclaimer: All recognizable Shinzo characters and situations are the property of the Toei Animation and Saban Entertainment. This fiction is for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I want to give a heartfelt thank you to the wonderful people who reviewed Chapter 1. I deeply appreciate that you took the time to drop me a note letting me know what you thought of the chapter. I hope you will enjoy Chapter 2!
Chapter 2A massive convulsion rocked Sago's body. He woke with a start in a cold sweat, breathless, unable see anything other than spots before his eyes or to hear any sounds other than the pounding of his heart. He remained motionless on his back while the panic subsided. Slowly his breathing returned to normal. The spots dissolved into stars in the night sky above him. The pounding subsided into the quiet murmurs of a jungle not quite awake. Sago sighed and propped himself up on his elbows.
As was his habit immediately upon waking, Sago looked for his friends. A few feet away from him, Kutal slept in his automobile. The Enterran had stretched his feet over the steering wheel and his head over the seat back. If the vehicle had had a roof, Kutal would never have been able to sleep in that position. Sago frequently wondered how the large Enterran managed to get into that position even without a roof. Despite his size, Kutal was extremely flexible.
Yakumo slept in Hakuba a few more feet farther away from Sago. From his position on the ground, he couldn't see the human. She must have reclined the seat back so that she was lying down. Hakuba's glass roof kept her warm and dry from the cool moist night air. Mushra lay on the ground beside Hakuba, his back resting against the robotic transport. Mushra's hoverboard was a foot away from him. Sago smiled. Mushra always started the night with his head resting on the hoverboard as if it were a pillow. However, by the morning, the Enterran always ended up next to Hakuba. Even asleep, Mushra's feelings for Yakumo controlled his actions.
Satisfied that his friends were asleep and safe, Sago sat up fully and shifted so that his back was against his scooter. He propped up one knee, grabbed the edges of his cloak, and wrapped his arms around himself to ward off the chill damp. A quick glance to the sky told him there was an hour before dawn. Sago sniffed in disgust at the early hour, closed his eyes, and forced himself to think about the nightmare that had awakened him.
The nightmare of Yakumo's betrayal and his death had haunted Sago for nearly two weeks. Lately, the nightmare occurred several times during a single night. Sago was exhausted from the lack of restful sleep. Adding to his troubles was the puzzling question of why he was having the nightmare at all. The dream was true to actual events but only up to the point where Sago, Mushra, and Kutal left Yakumo and Kiri hiding in the oak tree. After the Enterrans left, the three had spent the early hours of that evening separately. Sago passed the time tossing a coin debating whether or not to leave the girls to go to Shinzo alone. "Heads, we stay. Tails, we're out of here." The coin kept landing tails up. So Sago kept tossing the coin until it landed the way he truly wanted.
When the coin finally landed heads up, he had sought out Mushra and Kutal to see if they wanted to stay as well. The feeling was mutual. During their discussion, the Enterrans realized that Yakumo had never intended to disown their friendship. They unanimously decided to return to the girls. The three crossed the lake to the Shinzo castle in time to rescue Yakumo and Kiri from the guards. Yakumo apologized for asking the Enterrans to leave. Knowing that she had become confused as a result of Kiri's pleading, they quickly forgave her and set the issue aside. Friendship between the Enterrans and Yakumo restored, the five headed for the castle.
Unfortunately, the girls were captured a few minutes later. The Enterrans quickly became prisoners as well. During their capture, Yakumo and the Enterrans learned that the castle they had thought was Shinzo — the last reported home of humanity — was actually the fortress home of Daku, the king of the insect Enterrans. Worst of all, Kiri whom they had thought was a human girl was in reality a shape-shifting Enterran sent to lure Yakumo and her friends to Daku's fortress.
With much effort, the Enterrans and Yakumo were able to defeat Daku and escape the fake Shinzo. Afterwards, a subspatial warp created by Hakuba brought them to this jungle where they had been traveling for the past two weeks. Every night since their escape, the nightmare with its modified version of history ruined Sago's sleep. Sago couldn't understand why the nightmare haunted him. He had forgiven Yakumo for her choice. With his whole being, he knew she had not meant to betray their friendship. However, he couldn't seem to forget that despite her intent, Yakumo had done just that.
The ancient saying Forgive and forget sprang to Sago's mind. "I guess some times it's easier to forgive than to forget," he said to the early morning air.
Sago crossed his arms on top of his bent knee, rested his head on his arms, and closed his eyes. With the dawn coming and the anguish of the nightmare still heavy on his mind, he made no attempt to fall asleep however. He let his mind wander while he waited for his friends to wake from their peaceful slumbers — a peacefulness that had eluded him lately and one that he desperately wished to reclaim.
About an hour after dawn, everyone in the group had awakened and taken care of their private needs. The four friends gathered around Hakuba to discuss the day's plan. Kutal wanted to stay where they were camped at least long enough for breakfast. Mushra was eager to start traveling again while Yakumo and Sago were undecided. Hakuba interrupted the discussion with an opinion of his own.
"Yakumo," the robot said, its mechanical voice sounding slightly hollow. "I have reviewed my power reserves. I do not think I have sufficient levels for a lengthy journey. In fact, my reserves are dangerously low. I should take time to recharge before setting forth."
"Hakuba! Will you be alright?" Yakumo asked worriedly. Although Hakuba was a robot, its artificial intelligence made it seem like a living being. Yakumo was as fond of it as she was of her Enterran friends.
"Do not worry," the robot assured her. "Creating the subspatial warp was more challenging than I had realized. My power usage was higher than expected. However, if I rest until nightfall tomorrow, my power reserves will be recharged. I should be able to travel for some time afterwards without difficulty."
Mushra frowned. "I thought you rested after we got out of the warp. Wasn't that enough?"
The robot's head swung from side to side, simulating a negative headshake. "No. I thought it would be sufficient at the time. But the heat and humidity in this jungle meant that I had to use more energy in order to keep Yakumo comfortable."
"Hakuba, you should not have wasted extra energy on my comfort," Yakumo scolded. "I would have done without the comfort if I had known. You should have said something."
"Your safety and comfort is my principle duty," Hakuba replied. "I am programmed to do whatever is necessary to achieve that aim."
"Well, what's done is done," Sago pointed out. He looked around the area where they had spent the night, evaluating it as a potential campsite for the next two days. "This glade is as good a place to let Hakuba recharge as any we're likely to find. There are probably fruit trees nearby. Plenty of firewood lying on the ground."
"And anyone who might attack us would have to come out of the trees into the open before they can reach us," Mushra added.
"That settles it," said Kutal. "We'll stay here while Hakuba recharges. Agreed?" A chorus of um-hum, yep, and head nods answered him. "Excellent! Then I will start making breakfast."
The travelers' laughter echoed through the clearing at Kutal's unsurprising announcement. Hakuba reduced its power levels until it was in recharge mode. With Yakumo's help, Kutal unpacked his cooking utensils from the trunk of his vehicle and started arranging a small area for cooking.
"I'll get some more firewood," Sago called as he headed off into the trees.
"Hey, Yakumo! Would you like some fresh fruit for breakfast? I can look for some in the trees on my hoverboard."
"That would be very nice, Mushra. Thank you." Mushra blushed at her warm response, hopped on his board, and prepared to fly off. "Be careful, Mushra. Don't go too far," Yakumo cautioned.
"Don't worry. I won't get into any trouble," the Enterran called over his shoulder as he left the glade.
Kutal snickered. "Mushra not get into trouble? That's like me not wanting to cook." Yakumo giggled. She knew Kutal was right.
"Why do I have to do morning patrols?" whined the younger of two Enterrans walking through the jungle growth.
"You're in Lord Braegon's army now, Tylis, you'll do as you're told," the older one growled back. "If Captain Luchrisk says that you do the morning patrol, you do the morning patrol. If he says clean the huts, you clean the huts. Now quit your belly-aching!" The older Enterran stomped ahead through the undergrowth pushing aside the branches as he encountered them. Most of them snapped back in place just in time to hit Tylis's face.
"I'd rather have hut duty. At least then, I could sleep until breakfast, eat, and clean the huts after everyone is finished," Tylis muttered. He pushed aside another branch that had hit him. "But no, I have to be up before dawn, follow Gorilla Hemanth around, and get smacked in the face instead. Hey, Hemanth what do you think …" Tylis called, but he interrupted himself when he heard sound of a strange whining sound coming towards the pair.
"Quiet!" Hemanth hissed. The two crouched down and hid beneath the overhanging branches. The sound came from above their heads. Looking up, they saw a hoverboard fly across the sky. Standing atop the board was a young Enterran male, his arms laden with fruit. He seemed to be determined to catch another fruit that had slipped from his grasp and was falling to the ground. Just before the fruit was about to hit the branches of the tree hiding the two patrol members, the Enterran swooped down and snatched his prize.
"Gotcha! Thought you were going to get away from me, didn't you? No way. You're going to be Yakumo's breakfast."
Tylis watched as the strange Enterran flew off still talking to the fruit. He didn't notice that Hemanth had left his side and was running after the stranger trying to keep the hoverboard in sight.
"Come on, you idiot!" Hemanth yelled back. "We've got to find out who that runt is so we can inform Captain Luchrisk!" Tylis scrambled to his feet and took off.
Tylis and Hemanth tracked the Enterran and his hoverboard to a clearing in the jungle where three other Enterrans were waiting — two males and a female. Hidden safely behind the tree line, Hemanth evaluated the situation. The four looked like they were preparing to eat breakfast. There were no obvious weapons. Judging by the number of vehicles in the clearing, there were unlikely to be any more strangers than the four he could see at the moment. Hemanth made a decision.
"Tylis, go get Captain Luchrisk. Tell him we have found four strangers and bring him here," he instructed. "I'll stay here and keep watch on them." Tylis started to complain but Hemanth silenced him with a hand gesture. "Go!" he ordered. The younger Enterran turned, loudly snapping a branch beneath his foot in the process. He grinned a sheepish apology to Hemanth and then took off after seeing the look on the older Enterran's face. "Idiot," Hemanth muttered.
Hemanth focused his attention on the strangers in the glade. Captain Luchrisk would want to know as much as possible about them when he arrived. Creeping silently through the trees, Hemanth edged his way closer to the campsite for a better evaluation of the strangers. He hoped to overhear some of their conversation.
Hemanth studied the fat Enterran first. Hemanth knew that Enterrans were descendents of humans who had had animal DNA mixed with their human DNA in an attempt to fight off a virus that was ravaging the human population of Enterra then called the Earth. Even now, five hundred years later, most Enterrans showed physical traces of their animal DNA. For some Enterrans, their animal DNA gave them special fighting abilities. Like all the members of their tribe, Hemanth and Tylis had gorilla DNA in their heritage. Strong arm and leg muscles were the hallmark of their tribe members. Based on the fat Enterran's yellow fur, triangle-shaped ears, and whiskers, Hemanth guessed this one had some feline DNA in him. The others called him "Kutal". At first, Hemanth thought Kutal's size might make him a dangerous fighter and the feline DNA might make him swift, but after watching the fat cat-like Enterran mince around the campsite preparing breakfast, he dismissed the notions and focused on the others.
One of the males wore a blue cloak and a helmet. The cloak prevented Hemanth from getting a good look at the Enterran's arm and chest muscles. But based on his skinny legs, Hemanth doubted this one would be too dangerous either. Hemanth made a mental note that the helmet would protect "Sago" from head blows. Unlike the cat-like Enterran, Sago showed no traces of his animal DNA. Hemanth couldn't predict what special animal traits this one would have if any.
The same was true for the shortest and youngest of the Enterran males, the one who had ridden the hoverboard. The youngster had purple hair and wore a black jumpsuit partially covered with orange armor. The suit's short sleeves revealed the Enterran's muscular arms. This one — the one the others called "Mushra" — he would be the strangers' best fighter Hemanth decided. Furthermore, based on the youngster's swaggering behavior, he would be an eager fighter. Hemanth grinned. This might be fun after all, he thought.
Hemanth glanced briefly at the female in the group then took a longer look. Pretty, brown-haired, taller than the one called Mushra but shorter than the one called Sago, the female showed no trace of animal DNA even in her eyes as most Enterrans did. Very strange-looking blue eyes, Hemanth thought with a jolt. He had never seen an Enterran with such unusual eyes. The Enterran patrolman made another mental note. He would make sure that Captain Luchrisk knew how strange and captivating the female's eyes were. The female called "Yakumo" might require the Captain's special lecherous attention.
Inside the camp, Yakumo watched as Kutal put the finishing touches on the morning meal. The aroma wafted by her nose, and she sniffed appreciatively. "Kutal, that smells wonderful."
"It would be better if I could have found all the spices I needed," he answered. "But when forging through the jungle, one must do with whatever one finds."
Yakumo laughed lightly. "I'm sure it will taste just as wonderful as it smells." From the trunk of Kutal's automobile, Yakumo picked up a stack of glasses and carried it to Sago who was tending the campfire. "Would you do the honors?" she asked, holding a single glass in front of him.
Sago grinned. "No problem," he said. He stuck out his hand, and a small stream of water flowed from his index finger into the glass.
Yakumo's eyes danced as she held out each glass in turn for her friend to fill. She had become accustomed to Sago's ability to produce water from thin air, but it still delighted her to watch it happen. Yakumo was holding the final glass for him to fill when Sago's concentration was broken by a huge yawn. In his distraction, Sago unintentionally increased the force of the water turning it from a stream into a powerful blast. The water surged beyond Yakumo and struck Mushra knocking him down. Sago immediately stopped the water spray when he realized what he had done.
Yakumo turned to see the youngest Enterran sitting on the ground in a huff. She hurriedly bit her lip. Mushra was dripping from head to toe, but she was determined not to laugh at the sight. Mushra could be quite temperamental. He despised people laughing at him when he wasn't laughing along with them. And right now, Mushra was definitely not laughing. Unfortunately, Kutal started chuckling at Mushra's dilemma. Yakumo winced. Mushra was going to be upset; she could tell from his expression.
"Sorry, Mushra!" Sago apologized. When Mushra started growling, Sago backed away hands up in front of him to ward off the angry Enterran. "I didn't mean to. Honest!" After Mushra leapt from the ground, Sago turned and fled with a yelp. Mushra chased Sago around the campsite trying to land a retaliatory punch in the nose. In the process, they knocked over Kutal's stew pot spilling some of the food in it on the ground. Furious at the loss of his culinary work of art, Kutal joined in the chase. Hunter and prey moments earlier, Mushra and Sago became sudden allies in their efforts to evade the incensed chef.
With a small smile, Yakumo ignored her friends and sought to salvage what she could of their morning meal. In their months together, the woman had learned that when her friends weren't united fighting a common enemy, they were just as likely to be fighting each other. No one would be injured in their fights. They wouldn't seriously hurt each other, she reminded herself as the three tussled on the ground. Well, not intentionally. Another yelp from Sago focused her attention on what started the incident. Yakumo frowned as she remembered what had happened. Sago never loses control of his water power like that, she thought. Not just because he yawned. That's not like him. Yakumo looked down at Sago, now pinned to the ground by Kutal who was sitting on top of Mushra and him. Sago looks so tired. Now that I think of it, he's looked really tired all week. The thought worried her. I wonder if he's all right?
To Be Continued …